Ascension

The assistant he addressed pulled a pistol from his belt and stepped towards Bill.

Max felt the liquid spreading through his body, it felt like fire, like it was killing him, it hurt like the Hell his wife always warned him about. More gunshots sounded from outside and Sentry cocked his head and took in many data packets, but Max, distracted as he was, didn't intercept any of them. He could barely focus his eyes on Sentry.

The doctor nodded and probed against Max's mental defenses gently, 'I think you are weakening. Very good.' He moved over to Stewart, who was lying almost motionless on her gurney. Taking out a scalpel Sentry ran it across Stewart's arm, blood pooled on her skin, which Sentry brushed aside with one hand to reveal unblemished skin. 'Amazing. Even faster than series one.'

Sentry moved to Max's side and plunged the small blade into the flesh above the injection site. He pulled the knife down Max's arm and watched with interest as the precise cut healed over with a minuscule amount of blood loss. Looking Max in the eyes, he asked, 'And you don't want to give this gift to your fellow humans? To not do so would be…criminal.' Again Sentries thoughts pressed into Max's head, getting further in than they did before and causing Max to cringe backward.

'What? You want me to stay out of your mind? That's what you want isn't it?' Sentry asked.

'Fuck. You.'

More gunfire came from nearby. The man named Kenneth came rushing back into the room.

'Doctor?' the man began.

'Yes, yes, I am still getting your information. I know the warehouse is experiencing some troubles. Maybe I shouldn't have knocked a hole in the wall between here and there after all. Well, Max, I am afraid there is another situation that I simply must go and clean up. We'll talk later. You're going to live forever now you know, so we'll have plenty of time to discuss things. I am on top of this new world order and you…you, are my chosen son to carry the word of my greatness to the people.' Sentry cocked a thumb at Stewart, 'She'll be my backup, my covert agent, as it were. After she knocks out a kid or two for me to study. Congratulations, Max, you're going to be a father, if you aren't already. I'm afraid it will all be invitro though, things are going too fast to do it the old fashioned way. I'll get what I need before you leave.'

Sentry's voiced faded off as Max fell into a dazed state of semi-consciousness. It felt like the series three formula was eating away at his insides. Sentry gave Max's mind one last probe and was pleased to find it had almost fully collapsed and that he was able to rifle through it with no trouble at all. Pulling away from the memories, Sentry nodded at the men in the room with him, 'Okay, Kenneth, Chad and Chris, you come with me and cover my back. Do not let anything happen to me. Aaron you stay here and watch the subjects.'

Sentry left the room with his thugs in tow and turned right down the hall.

Several minutes went by and all the gunfire in the distance ceased, but the sounds of fighting and yelling did not. Bill continued to struggle against his bonds. One of the many loops of rope around his chest snapped, sounding like a fire cracker as it broke. Aaron raised his pistol. 'I will shoot you if you break free.' This caused Bill to slow down, but not entirely cease his struggling.

Max threw his head back against the gurney and screamed in agony. The guard looked his way and Bill flexed again, tearing off another of the many strands holding him down. The screams were not acting on Max's part, 'It is tearing me up inside.' The pain became a white rod of hurt coursing through his system. Stewart wasn't doing much better, but the gag in her mouth prevented her from screaming like Max.

The two of them thrashed around uncontrollably to the distant sounds of combat, then, almost at the same time, they both stopped moving. Stewart looked across at Max, she had a sheen of bloody perspiration coating her brow. Her look seemed to ask if he was okay. Max was not okay, his head was roaring. His senses were alive and questing outwards like millions of psychic worms tunneling through his surroundings. Max was able to sense everything on a much more intimate level than before. It was like going from a silent film to a three dimensional interactive entertainment extravaganza compared to his abilities before.

The process to gather the information was slower than gathering similar detail with his eyes, but so much more thorough. He knew the contents of the room as if he had brought everything inside himself. He even knew that the burly assistant had a key ring in his pocket and what the keys opened; the door on a Kia Sedona and the door of his house. He knew that the man had photos of both his wife, now dead, and his lover, also dead in his wallet. Also, Aaron had a son, a young kid who had touched both the photos. 'The kid's prints are all over his wallet. I wonder if he got in trouble for that?'

Slowly, Stewart bit down into the gag holding her mouth open. The thick red ball crumbled under her assault and she spit pieces out as she made progress. Eventually she was able to speak and said, 'Max? You still with me?'

Max didn't respond, his eyes were wide open assimilating the information he had gathered. 'There is so much here. I could get lost.' He was examining the blood on the floor. It came from two hundred and thirty seven different individuals. 'I don't know how I can tell, but I know I am right.'

Stewart's voice brought him out of a detailed examination of the contents of Aaron's pockets, 'Max!'

Aaron was looking at Stewart, and Bill took that opportunity to rend the handcuffs off of his arms and burst free form his gurney. He fell over as the gurney collapsed beneath him and Aaron swiveled back towards the man, raising the pistol up.

'Stop!'

Bill launched himself at Aaron and the pistol barked three times in less than a second. Aaron crumpled as Bill hit him. They went down in a tangle of limbs, but only Aaron rose to his feet, kicking Bill off of him to stand. Bill rolled over onto his back, feebly clutching his stomach with both hands, trying to hold in his life blood.

Max thought, 'I should be doing something. What's wrong with me?' He struggled with his bonds, but it was hopeless, 'Apparently the injection didn't give me any sort of physical strength.' Max screamed in frustration, 'Bill! Damn it don't die!'

Across from him Stewart's arm came from where it was bound on the gurney. She calmly reached over and started tugging on the straps holding her down. Aaron shifted the gun to her, 'Stop. I will kill you.'

'Sentry wouldn't like that buddy, boy. I got you in a tough spot. You can't kill me, I'm one of his experiments. Kill me and you're just as dead and we both know it.'

Aaron hesitated. Stewart released her other arm and with blazing speed started tugging on her chest straps, tearing them free, instead of carefully undoing them one by one.

Something in Aaron snapped, he stepped towards Stewart and raised his gun to pistol whip her, then a noise at the doorway distracted him. An old man stepped into the room, his eyes were closed and he seemed to be counting his steps, his lips were moving as he did so. When he reached 'three' he turned and counted two more steps. Aaron turned and fired at him, but the old man stepped sideways at the last possible second and the bullet hit the wall beside him.

Another shot and another miss and that was all the time Stewart was going to give the zombie. She tore off the arm rest and smashed it into the back of Aaron's head. Snarling he turned and unloaded the rest of the clip on her. Stewart calmly tore the straps off of her legs and turned sideways to let them hang over the edge of the gurney.

'I didn't miss.' Aaron stammered, pulling the trigger of the pistol again and again on an empty chamber.

Stewart shook her head. Aaron reloaded and Ruben knelt down next to Bill and opened his eyes. 'Aw, Bill.' He said softly, 'What a mess you got yourself in this time.'

'Untie Max, Ruben!' Stewart yelled, rushing Aaron.

'I didn't miss!' Aaron yelled, he brought his gun up to block Stewart's first punch.

'I know.' Stewart said, remaining calm as she brought a fist up into the zombie's rib cage.

The two traded blows and Ruben stayed by Bill's side. 'I don't have any bandages. Why don't I have any bandages? They didn't tell me to get any. Why wouldn't they tell me I would need bandages? I'm sorry Bill.' Ruben pulled the gag off of his friends head.

Bill tried to respond, but only blood poured out of his mouth.

'Shh, it's okay. You'll be okay. You were okay before, remember? You broke your leg and it healed up in only a few days.' Reuben said.